Pro-Ject Tube Box S2 Pure-Tube MM/MC Phono Preamplifier (Black)

This little phono preamp from Pro-Ject sounds good! I had been using an Art DJ Pre II phono preamp, which is IMO a great deal and practically a steal for how cheap it sells. But I had Amazon gift certificates burning a whole in my pocket. I read a lot before buying the Tube Box S2, as I was not really dissatisfied with the Art DJ Pre II. My biggest concerns around purchasing the Tube Box S2 was that it supposedly isn’t an “all-tube” phono preamp and the cost, which is high but not that high for “quality” audio gear. What eventually sold me on the Tube Box S2 was even if it isn’t all tubes producing the gain and RIAA equalization, it is supposedly using high-quality capacitors and FETs (transistors) in place of less expensive op amps or chips. As a consumer of audio appliances, I don’t really have anything against solid-state electronics, so I appreciate that Pro-Ject designed and built the Tube Box S2 with quality in mind. Even if it’s not all tubes, it’s built with circuits and parts that are as high of a quality as you can get at this price point, and yes, the tubes certainly are being used in the output and supposedly in some of the gain. The build quality, the fit and finish, on the exterior of this little box is top notch, too. It’s a nice, solid-feeling piece of metal, presumably aluminum, and the silver version is a nice, silky, matte finish. Usually a phono preamp is at best a box you can place unobtrusively, but the Tube Box S2 actually looks kind of nice, too. The most important thing though is the sound — WOW! It puts my Art DJ Pre II to shame. The gain, which is adjustable, is amazing and it’s across the whole of my audible spectrum. The bass, midrange and treble are all well present and accounted for with the pleasant RIAA roll-off beloved by us vinyl enthusiasts. The sound is quite clear. The Tube Box S2 also has 2 features I’ve yet to use, which are also very good at this price point. 1.) It has phono cartridge-loading flexibility, so you can use MM or MC cartridges across a wide variety of impedance and capacitance settings. This phono preamp gives you the ability to try a whole lot of cartridges if you feel so inclined. 2.) Last, and I’m sure I’ll be trying this someday, you can roll tubes! You can use the 12ax7-compatible tubes of your choice with this little box. To sum up, yes, it seems a bit expensive for a phono preamp, but compared to other “boutique audio” products: it’s relatively cheap; it seems thoughtfully designed and built well; it has a really good set of features; and it sounds great!

A month in, and I'm sure this is my preamp forever.Give it time, I distinctly noticed an improvement after 30-40 hours of playing. Either a break-in of the tubes, or an adjustment of my ears...I think it's both. Incidentally, the stock tubes in mine are JJ branded (Slovakia), which is probably what the Pro-Ject branded stock tubes are.The separation and clarity here is exceptional, each tube serves its own channel, left and right. Despite some of the chatter, there are no chips connected to the tubes.The gain settings are extremely useful, 43db or 50db is my sweet spot depending on what I'm listening to.I needed a good preamp more than I knew. Spend on your preamp like you spent on your turntable and stylus.I'm running a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Esprit SB with a Marantz 1060 to some Mitsubishi DS-40 speakers (late 70s "Diatone Series"), with a Sumiko Moonstone.

I also have the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon EVO turntable, so I wanted my phono preamp to match the technology. The sound is rich, full, and brings out subtleties in my vinyl I haven’t previously heard. The analog technology brings out the natural warmth as well.Their customer service is fast and competent and concerned. I originally purchased an open box unit. However, when I hooked it up it did not function. I called customer service after following written and online instruction. It was determined during my phone call the unit was defective. I shipped it to the provided address and within a few short days a replacement unit was FedEx’d back to me.I highly recommend this unit as well as Pro-Ject and Finesounds as well.

Very gladly suprised.This was a step up from the phono amp included in my integrated amplifier, a Rotel 1592MKII which already sounded pretty good. I was ready for let down, as in "there is no difference here". WRONG. There is a very clear difference.Everything sounds better: bass, mids, treble. Low noise floor. Good clean gain.No strange noises, they all dissapeared!Very easy setup.Looks: well built, feels solid, definitely not a "looker". A black box with 2 tubes. WYSIWYG. Can't be comared to a 1,000 dollars and up preamp. Not fair.Sounds good with the stock tubes, but: just an idea, throw away the OK but walmartish stock tubes. No need to spend big bucks. A good pair of current production 12ax7 will do great in this preamp (I am running a pair of Electro-Harmonix 7025 and also tried a pair of Tung-Sol 12ax7): the tone improved again significantly, let's say 20% better tone than the stock tubes, better "body" to the stringed instruments, and way more clarity in the upper registers.A good buy!!!

First of all the reason I bought this unit, was due to dual moving coils cartridge, they produce very low signals and this unit brought my signals up very nicely and warm, makes my turntable sound 100%. Clean and clear, you will notice a difference, there are other phono preamps that are cheaper, due your homework and you will see why this item and others like it are very expensive